It's up to us to SAVE HALLOWEEN!!!

By the length of this Weekly Update, you might be lulled into a false sense that, finally, things are returning back to normal.  The problem is things might be headed that way, but only if you considered 2020 to be normal.

The Delta Variant of Covid-19 is spreading at a terrifying rate.  Even the vaccinated aren't safe.  Though they likely won't have severe symptoms or require hospitalization, they can still spread it.  So a vaccinated adult to be infected and take the virus home to their unvaccinated children, or an immunocompromised parent.  And if the projections are correct, the Pacific Northwest could see rates of infections and hospitalizations reach the peak set last year.

I figure we have one shot at this, Pacific Northwest Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Fans.  We all need to wear our masks, keep social distancing and, if you haven't done so yet, get vaccinated.  If not, we might miss out on another Halloween season.

I'm not kidding.  I know of one Pacific Northwest haunted attraction that has cancelled their 2021 season.  And while it's easy to hope that wasn't the first domino, the possibility does exist.  If we want to enjoy THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR, we have to stop the spread of Covid. We may not be enough to stop this new wave of infections, but it's better to try something a fail than ignore the problem and hope it goes away.

It's funny,

those seem to be the two main traits of characters in a lot of the movies I watch.

Let's get off that depressing subject and on to another.  Most of the Pacific Northwest is being scorched again, with high temperatures in the forecast into next week.  As many A/C units in the region aren't designed to handle such unusually high temperatures, this might force a venue to close down until the heat wave passes, for the protection of their staff and patrons.  Please, use the links provided in the Update before you venture out during an extreme heat advisory.  You don't want to drive a half-hour to see a film, only to discover the building's A/C isn't working and you have to drive back. 

Okay, let's get to some good news.  This edition of the Weekly Update is FULL of great movies, a few cons and one toy trade night, so check it out.  Don't forget, the HALLOWEEN 2021 is up and while it's not full now, keep your fingers and tentacles crossed that isn't the case in the near future.  And check out the Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Calendar for all the great events happening through the rest of the year AND BEYOND!

If you'd like to support the site, please visit my Ko-fi page.  Thanks!

Ongoing

 

ScaregroundsPDX is looking for 35+ Event Cast (AKA ScareActors), as well as other positions for event staff and crew.  Visit the link for more details.

 

Stalker Farms Haunted Attractions is looking for actors and security for the 2021 season.  Hiring sessions take place on Sunday, August 15, from 11 am to 2 pm, and on Sunday, August 29, from 5 to 8 pm at Stocker Farms Country Market Office (10622 Airport Way in Snohomish, WA).  Visit the link to fill out an application BEFORE you attend a session.  Visit the Stalker Farms Haunted Attractions Facebook Page for more details.

 

The 13th Annual Guignolfest: 3-Day Horror Movie Contest is looking for more teams to join the 2021 list.  If you're up to making a 6:66 minute horror short in 72 hours, from script to final edit, visit the link and sign up!

 

Bleedingham: A Northwest Horror Short Film Festival, is accepting submissions for the 2021 program, scheduled to be held in Bellingham, WA, on Halloween weekend.

 

Northwest Ghost Tours has released its summer schedule.  If you want to take a spooky, walking tour to the most haunted spots in Oregon City, be sure to check out the site.  The tours run through August 14.

 

The Slay Film Festival is looking for some great horror short (8 minutes or less) films.  The festival is taking submissions through September 15. 

 

Playing This Week   

 

The 99W Drive-In (3110 Portland Road in Newberg, OR) will screen The Suicide Squad, followed by the DIRECTORS CUT of 1986's horror musical Little Shop of Horrors on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 13, 14 and 15.  As the directors cut has giant Audry Twos destroying New York, and the rest of the world, this will be a treat on the big screen!

 

The Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) is showing the musical fantasy classic The Wizard of Oz through Thursday, August 19.

 

The Joy Cinema and Pub (11959 SW Pacific Highway in Tigard, OR) will be showing A Quiet Place Part 2 through Thursday, August 19, and John Carpenter's They Live through Monday, August 16.

 

The Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) is showing the action fantasy classic Raiders of the Lost Ark through Thursday, August 19.

 

Oh, I HAD to include this one!  The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) presents Pig, a revenge-thriller starring Nicolas Cage as a reclusive Oregon truffle hunter on the trail of his kidnapped, prize hunting pig.  Yeah, that sounds AMAZING!  And it must be, as the Rio continues to add additional screenings.  You can see it on Saturday, August 14, at 8:15 pm and Saturday, August 21, at 5:45 pm. 

 

Okay, CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) has some amazing films scattered between showings of Pig (which runs through Thursday, August 26).  You can add to your Pig/Cage experience by catching Babe on Tuesday, August 17 at 7 pm, Wild at Heart on Tuesday, August 17, at 9:15 pm, Babe 2: Pig in the City on Tuesday, August 24, at 7 pm, and Mandy on Tuesday, August 24 at 9:15 pm.  All tickets are sold seperately.  This is PURE GENIUS!

Pig has also been carried over at the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR) until August 15.

 

A new take on the Arthurian legend, David Lowery's The Green Knight is playing at the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) on Saturday, August 14; The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA) through Thursday, August 19; the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR) through Sunday, August 15; and the Hollywood Theatre (4211 NE Sandy Ave in Portland, OR) through Thursday, August 19.

 

August, 2021

 

Saturday, August 14

The Meadowlark Comic Con takes place from 10 am to 5 pm today at the Ramada Medford (2250 Biddle Rd in Medford, OR).  No other details are available at this time, so keep checking back here or at the Facebook Event Page.

 

A new take on the Arthurian legend, David Lowery's The Green Knight joins the Northwest Film Center's Cinema Unbound Summer Movies and Open-Air Experiences tonight at the Lloyd Center Rooftop Cinema (1317 Lloyd Center in Portland, OR; the entrance is at the West-end parking garage on 10th Ave and NE Halsey).  Doors open at 7 pm, with food and beverages available for purchase (please, no outside food or drinks).  Music begins at 7 pm, with the film starting at dusk.  Advance tickets ensure you won't wait in the ticket purchase line, but DO NOT guarantee entry after 8:30 pm.  No refunds or exchanges for arrivals after the film starts (around 9 pm) or missed screenings.  Bring a chair or blanket, dress for the weather, but leave pets at home.  Click on the link for all the details, than scroll down to the movie link, and check out the other great films in the series! 

 

The Wyrd War Summer Bummer DOUBLE FEATURE returns to the Hollywood Theatre tonight at 7 pm, with cult director/screenwriter Steve De Jarnatt for a screening of his pre-apocalyptic thriller Miracle Mile and his post-apocalyptic rom/com Cherry 2000.  Wyrd War's Dennis Dread will conduct an onstage Q and A with De Jarnette between the films.  Tickets will be on sale soon. 

Trade your old toys from 5 to 7 pm tonight at the August Trade Night at Rogue Toys Portland (10414 SE 82nd Ave in Happy Valley, OR).  Oh, and there will be food and prizes, as well as great folks to talk with about all things toys!

The 7th Annual PDX Drive-In Spectacular continues tonight at the Portland Expo Center (2060 N Marine Dr in Portland, OR) as the Hollywood Theatre's Queer Horror presents the witchy cult classic The Craft.  Gates open at 7 pm, with music by Glume until dusk, when the movie begins. 

 

"It's your one way ticket to midnight....  Call it Heavy Metal!" The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) screens the adult animated feature tonight at 10:30 pm and Wednesday, August 18, at 9:15 pm.

The Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) invite you to "Be It Yourself" at tonight's screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Doors open at 11 pm.

The La Grande Drive-in (404 20th St in La Grande, OR) is showing Old and A Quiet Place Part II on Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14.

Sunday, August 15

Jim Henson's amazing fantasy film, The Dark Crystal, joins the Northwest Film Center's Cinema Unbound Summer Movies and Open-Air Experiences tonight at the Lloyd Center Rooftop Cinema (1317 Lloyd Center in Portland, OR; the entrance is at the West-end parking garage on 10th Ave and NE Halsey).  Doors open at 7 pm, with food and beverages available for purchase (please, no outside food or drinks).  Music begins at 7 pm, with the film starting at dusk.  Advance tickets ensure you won't wait in the ticket purchase line, but DO NOT guarantee entry after 8:30 pm.  No refunds or exchanges for arrivals after the film starts (around 9 pm) or missed screenings.  Bring a chair or blanket, dress for the weather, but leave pets at home.  Click on the link for all the details, than scroll down to the movie link, and check out the other great films in the series! 

 

Fathom Events celebrates the 50th anniversary of the classic (and, at times, terrifying) family classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with screenings of the film on Sunday, August 15, and Wednesday, August 18, in theaters nationwide.  Check the link to find a theater screening the film near you.  

 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will screen Demon Slayer "Kimetsu no Yaiba" The Movie: Mugen Train one final time, today at 3:15 pm.  The presentation is in Japanese with English subtitles.  

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will present an encore screening of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo today at 6 pm. 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show Stanely Kubrick's The Shining tonight at 9 pm.

Monday, August 16

The Clinton St Resistance series at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) presents Mad Max: Fury Road tonight at 7 pm.  

 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show James Cameron's ass-kicking sci fi classic, Aliens, starring Sigourney Weaver, tonight at 8:45 pm and on Saturday, August 21, at 10:30 pm. 

Tuesday, August 17

Rev up your engines, as Repressed Cinema returns to the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) with a screening of the 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000, in GLORIOUS 16mm, at 7 pm and 9:30 pm.

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) presents a final screening of the horror film Censor tonight at 9:30 pm.  

 

Fathom Events brings RiffTrax Live back into theaters nationwide tonight, with a riff on the Gremlins rip-off, Hobgoblins.  Check the link for a screening near you.

Wednesday, August 18

 

The Whiteside Theatre (361 SW Madison Ave in Corvallis, OR) presents the sci fi comedy Back to the Future tonight at 7 pm.

 

Thursday, August 19

 

Fathom Events celebrates the 35th anniversary of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with screenings of a remastered version of the movie on Thursday, August 19 and Sunday, August 22.  The event includes a featurette entitled Three Picture Saga.  Click on the link to see if a theater near you will be part of the event. 

The 7th Annual PDX Drive-In Spectacular continues tonight at the Portland Expo Center (2060 N Marine Dr in Portland, OR) with the sci fi classic The Empire Strikes Back.  Gates open at 7 pm, with music by DJ Gregarious until dusk, when the movie begins. 

 

McMenamin's Kalama Harbor Lodge (215 Hendrickson Dr in Kalama, WA) presents Ron Howard's classic fantasy Willow, outside and under the stars in the Westin Amphitheater, tonight at dusk.  Admission is FREE, but minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will screen the Jim Henson/Frank Oz fantasy The Dark Crystal today at 6:30 pm.

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will screen John Boorman's epic fantasy Excalibur tonight at 8:45 pm.  

Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA) presents the John Woo action film Face/Off in Hecklevision. 

 

Friday, August 20

 

The City of Vancouver, WA, Friday Night Movies in the Parks presents Pixar's demonic family comedy Onward.  The film starts at dusk, at Bagley Community Park (4607 Plomondan St in Vancouver, WA).

Demonic, the new horror film by writer/director Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium), opens tonight at the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) and the Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA).  The film is also screening as the Weird Elephant at The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA) feature on Friday and Saturday, August 20 and 21.

Friday Night Frights presents the Joe Dante horror/comedy classic Piranha at the Blue Mouse Theatre (2611 N Proctor St in Tacoma, WA) tonight at 10 pm.

The Warriors are coming out to playyyyyy tonight at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) at 7 pm.  

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) celebrates the 30th anniversary of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country with a screening in GLORIOUS 35mm tonight at 7:30 pm.

Yeah, baby!  Russ Meyer's Faster Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill!, starring the AWESOME Tura Satana, is the Friday Late Night Movie at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC).  The film starts at 11 pm tonight.

The Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) will screen Rene Laloux's animated sci fi classic Fantastic Planet through Thursday, August 26.

On a more family-friendly note, the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) will screen the filmed-in-Astoria favorite The Goonies through Thursday, August 26.

 

Now this is an interesting combo at the Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA).  From Friday, August 20 to Wednesday, August 25, the theater will screen the classic Jurassic Park and (with the exception of Sunday, August 22) the camp classic Tammy and the T-Rex (The Gore Cut).  Admission to each movie must be purchased separately.  

Saturday, August 21

Wasabicon (formerly Fandom PDX), Portland's Anime, Cosplay and Gaming Convention, takes place today and tomorrow at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel (8235 NE Airport Way in Portland, OR).  For all the details, including guests, hotel rooms and to purchase tickets, visit the official website.  You can also get updates at the Facebook page.

 

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will show the animated classic The Iron Giant at 3 pm on Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22.

The Free Family Flick at The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA) is the made-in-Astoria family classic The Goonies.  And yes, admission is FREE and available day-of, first come, first served.  Doors open at 9:30 am, and the film starts at 10 am.